The sport’s governing body announced on Tuesday that the number of Sprint events will rise from six to ten next season, with Monaco slated to host an alternative weekend that includes an extra qualifying session on Friday followed by a 100‑km Sprint on Saturday.
Seven‑time world champion Lewis Hamilton said the proposal “makes no sense to me” and argued that Monaco needs a format that is “different” from the standard Sprint model, calling the race “as dull as it gets” and insisting a Sprint race is not the answer.
Mercedes teammate George Russell offered a contrary view, describing the Sprint format as a way to make “normal race weekends feel quite long‑winded” and praising Sprint qualifying as “way more exciting than FP2”, suggesting it would add excitement to an otherwise predictable weekend.
Other drivers weighed in: Max Verstappen said he “doesn’t care where the Sprints are” and will focus on winning regardless of the format; Sergio Perez noted he learned of the Monaco change via the drivers’ WhatsApp group and sees it as an opportunity to “mix things around a little bit”; Lando Norris argued that fans should have a say in which races receive Sprint weekends.
Monaco’s narrow streets have long been cited as one of the toughest places to overtake, prompting Formula 1 to market the extra qualifying session as a chance for drivers to showcase “world‑class skill and precision”. The addition of more Sprint events reflects the sport’s broader push to inject fresh excitement into its calendar.
The split opinions among the sport’s top drivers highlight the ongoing debate over how best to evolve Formula 1’s format ahead of the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where the calendar shift will be tested in real‑time.